RARE PICTURES of the aftermath of the Easter Rising have gone on display in London as part of the official programme of events to commemorate the centenary in Britain.
The Photographers’ Gallery on London’s Ramillies Street, near Oxford Circus, is the venue for the exhibition which runs until April.
The pictures, from the collection of historian and photographer Sean Sexton, show the effect of the Rising on Dublin city; as well as pictures from the decades either side of 1916.
It focuses on key events from the transformative years from the 1840s to the 1930s that saw Ireland’s battle for independence take shape.
But because of the costly and cumbersome nature of photography in 1916, there is no photographic documentation of the rebellion taking place.
The Easter Rising lasted six days and saw hundreds of people lose their lives before the rebels surrendered.
Though billed as an ultimately failed coup, historians view the Rising as the catalyst that kick-started a series of events that eventually led to Ireland’s independence.
Sexton’s pictures, which have been scarcely seen before, will be available for public viewing throughout the exhibition’s run.
The exhibition opened on January 22 and will remain open until April 3.
